Derby Central Library
| Derby Central Library | |
|---|---|
 The 1879 Library building (shared with Derby Museum and Art Gallery) | |
 | |
| Location | The Wardwick, Derby, DE1 1HS, England |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | 1879 |
| Architect(s) | Richard Knill Freeman  |
| Branch of | Derby City Libraries |
| Branches | 15 |
| Access and use | |
| Population served | primarily Derby and Derbyshire |
| Other information | |
| Director | Paul Rogers |
| Website | About Central Library |
Derby Central Library was established in 1879[1] with Derby Museum and Art Gallery, in a building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. It is Derby's main public and reference library, the largest branch of Derby City Libraries run by the unitary authority that governs the city.
History
The "permanent" library in Derby was established in 1811 in Queen Street. This library was open to people who by the 1830s could afford to buy a four guinea share and pay an annual subscription of another guinea. In 1832 this library had 84 members.[2] The book collection incorporated the 4,000 volume library of the Derby Philosophical Society.[3] In 1863 the botanist Alexander Croall was appointed the first Librarian and Curator and the following year the museum and library were joined together. Croall left in 1875[3] to become the curator of the Smith Intitute in Stirling.[4]
On Saturday 28 June 1879 Mr. Bass performed the official opening of The Derby Free Library and Museum, the cause of great celebration in the town. The ceremony involved an official reception of Mr. Bass at the Midland Railway Station followed by an elegant luncheon at the Midland Hotel and a procession to the Market Place, along decorated streets packed with excited crowds of people. Mr Bass then presented the title deeds to the Mayor at the Town Hall. The party then moved on to the Free Library itself, where Mr. Bass took a tour before returning to the steps and declaring the building open[5].
In 1914 the curator's house alongside the library was demolished to make way for an extension to the building, intended to house the recently acquired Bemrose Library[6].
In 1964 the Museum and Art Gallery expanded into a newly-built wing on The Strand, but leaving the original 19th century building still partly shared between the Library and the Museum.
See also
References
- ^ Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire 1899 p.130. 1899. Retrieved April 2011.
{{cite book}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Glover, Stephen (1829). The history and directory of the borough of Derby, a guide p.430.
- ^ a b Newsletter of the Geological Curators Club, Mick Stanley, Vol 1, No. 8, 1976. accessed February 2011.
- ^ "Old Town Cemetery Stirling". Retrieved February 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Derby Mercury: Wednesday July 2, 1879. p.2.
- ^ [citation needed]
External links
- Official webpage
- Derby Central Library at www.librarytechnology.org
52°55′20″N 1°28′46″W / 52.92225°N 1.4795°W
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